


By your side

by kornevable



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Family, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 15:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17686136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kornevable/pseuds/kornevable
Summary: You can always find happiness in the simple things of life.





	By your side

**Author's Note:**

  * For [museicalitea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/museicalitea/gifts).



> Hello museicalitea!! I was so happy to get your request, I love NishiNatsu and I love the Fujiwaras, so I tried to combine both. I hope you will enjoy! :D

Here is the thing. Natsume acts like he doesn't know what hands and legs are supposed to do, like he's an infant discovering the use of limbs by flailing and making distressed noises, and that's alright because he's prone to this bout of panicking once in a while.

The other thing is that usually, Nishimura isn't the one to cause such a state.

“Hey, relax, I'm sure Touko-san and Shigeru-san won't mind! And I know for sure that my brother and my mom won't mind, either.”

Natsume opens and closes his mouth several times, eyes so focused on what to say that he looks on the verge of imploding. His cat sits at his feet and yawns, bored out of his mind as he watches a butterfly fly by, and attempts a swipe at it. Nishimura is convinced that this is the epitome of normalcy.

“It's okay if you don't want to,” Nishimura says, furrowing his brows. “We've only had sleepovers with the other guys in the past, I understand if you're not comfortable with the idea yet.”

It's not the truth but it's not wrong either, because Nishimura will never be mad about this sort of subject. He did have an outburst, once upon a time, when he was still learning what kind of person Natsume was, and trying to wrap his mind around the fact such a nice guy was despised by basically everyone he met. He knows that things have been difficult, but if he doesn't push a bit, nothing will change.

Natsume recovers abruptly, his arms falling limp against his sides, and he doesn’t quite meet Nishimura’s eyes but he tries, and that’s the most important part.

“I was just surprised by your suggestion. Sorry if I seemed too weirded out, Nishimura.”

The light comes back in these clear eyes, bright and unashamed, emanating sincerity like a perfect-fit cloak. Nishimura loves the feeling of pride he gets from that; above all, he loves how at ease Natsume is—it took some time and Nishimura sometimes fears he will retreat back into his shell, but it happens very rarely, now.

“Don’t worry, it’s alright.” He grins, and wraps an arm around Natsume’s shoulders. “I’m glad you’re okay with it.”

Natsume smiles, and Nishimura’s heart melts, again.

* * *

Some people would think they’re being paranoid or extremely slow, which might be true to some extent, but better be safe than sorry, right? It’s not like they can decide what to do without taking into account every factor they know, unless they wish to make mistakes they’d regret. Nishimura’s mother told him that teenagers are supposed to make mistakes, and that was how they learn life, but Nishimura thinks it’s way too painful to rely on deeds that could have been prevented and saved them a lot of grief. He doesn’t want Natsume to freak out, and from what he’s gathered (with a little bit of help since he's apparently too blind), Natsume is afraid of messing up, so that’s fifty-fifty. No big deal, if they’re on the same page. People shouldn’t meddle, anyway, so the accusations are irrelevant.

He doesn’t want to be inconsiderate, and he wants to make Natsume happy. If they need to take baby steps to do so, then Nishimura will keep this pace; seeing him smile and get flustered at the small attentions is worth everything, and Nishimura will fight anyone who tries to push them into a direction they don’t plan on following.

He takes Natsume’s hand in his, gently intertwining their fingers, holding him tight. He doesn’t look at his boyfriend’s reaction, but from the way he stiffens then immediately relaxes, it feels perfectly safe and how it should be. He doesn’t have any frame of reference regarding this kind of experience, but Nishimura is positive this is the best feeling he could have plucked from his heart.

They reach Natsume’s home, where they let the cat rush into the house probably to get snacks, while Natsume announces his arrival.

“Thank you for having me!” Nishimura says enthusiastically, removing his shoes and lining them up with Natsume’s.

Touko-san greets them with her warm smile and her bright energy, like she’s never running out of supply to make guests feel at home.

“Welcome back, Takashi-kun. Satoru-kun, please make yourself at home!”

She is so kind and so reassuring Nishimura can’t even believe she isn’t an actual angel blessing them all. He is so, so glad that Natsume lives with the Fujiwaras and found somewhere he can call a home.

“Touko-san, can I help you prepare dinner?” he asks earnestly. “I brought tomatoes from our garden!”

Touko-san looks surprised at his request, a refusal at her lips, but she casts a quick look at Natsume then at Nishimura, and her decision is made.

“That's very kind of you Satoru-kun. Takashi-kun, we are out of green onions, could you pick up some at the store? I forgot to ask you to buy it on your way home.”

Nishimura’s smile grows wider at the confusion written all over Natsume's face, and has to bite his cheeks to contain his laughter. He squeezes his shoulder and gestures towards the door.

“Don't worry, I'm not going to break anything,” he teases. “And Touko-san won't let me anyway.”

“But Nishimura—”

“It's okay, just go, we need our green onions!”

The cat chooses that moment to resurface, what looks suspiciously like anpan in his mouth, striding towards Natsume's feet and brushing against his ankles. Natsume looks down with a crease between his brows, and falls into a deep silent conversation with his pet. Nishimura can't believe that a cat manages to pull a deadpan expression while being smug, but that’s the reality he’s living—this creature has always been weird, and oddly reassuring at the most random times, but he seems to understand Natsume on a whole other level than people. Whatever communication that happened between the two pushed Natsume to agree to leave the house. He shoots a smile at Nishimura over his shoulder and promises to be quick, his cat in tow.

When the door slides closed, silence reigns for a few seconds before Touko-san chuckles. The sound doesn’t startle Nishimura, but he does turn around to stare at her, not without joy of his own.

“Takashi-kun must be thinking I want to tell you embarrassing things about him,” she says.

“I already see him embarrass himself every day, but I wouldn’t be against more information,” Nishimura laughs.

He picks up the bag of tomatoes and deposits it on the kitchen counter. Touko-san was already cutting vegetables before they arrived, while the meat is marinating. She instructs him to slice them in small pieces, which he does diligently—he has never been the best cook in the vicinity, but at least he can make good use of a knife.

They take their time. Nishimura knows that getting Natsume out of the house isn’t insignificant, especially since Touko-san is being quiet about it. So he waits for her to speak, while he pretends he’s able to focus on his task without freaking out.

“You and Atsushi-kun have been such good friends to Takashi-kun,” Touko-san whispers. “I was so relieved to see there were people willing to become his friends. You know how hard it has been for him.”

Oh he knows, he knows nothing has ever been kind to Natsume, but he wishes he knew more; not to do something about it, because he can’t, but because it would lift a bit the weight of this burden constantly crushing Natsume, even when the situation is nothing like anything he’s lived before. Nishimura wants him to know it’s alright to talk about it.

“I just wish he’d be more open about his past.” His grip around the knife tightens. “We trust him and he trusts us. And now we’re, uh, closer.”

Touko-san stops stirring the soup and turns to him, her eyes crinkling with unconcealed happiness. “Takashi-kun always needs time to adjust to something, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to tell you stories he never told us after a few months.”

The implicit affirmation she expected them to be together for a long time, maybe forever, makes Nishimura’s heart skip a beat and stay stuck in his throat. He averts his eyes and swallows, unable to hold Touko-san’s gentle gaze without feeling he’s drowning.

“Thank you so much for everything you’re doing for my son, Satoru-kun. I wanted to tell you that. Shigeru-san isn’t here yet, but once he returns, I’m sure he will say the same.”

She puts a hand on his arm, silently nudging him to look at her. Her infinite love for Nasume is so palpable, but it extends to everything beyond its simple form—Nishimura senses her affection for him, her wishes and expectations, and he wants to fulfill them. He wants to wrap his arms around this world of love and keep it in his pocket, to remember how lucky he is, how much it means to him.

He meets Touko-san’s gaze, lips curling upwards in a grin. “I won’t disappoint you. Thank you for trusting me with Natsume.”

Touko-san nods, and she pulls him close for a hug. Nishimura embraces her just as tightly, remembering that this is a woman who wanted to pour all her energy into a child and who finally has the chance to do so. They stay like this a moment longer before pulling away, both of them showing so much gratitude Nishimura is surprised they can’t grasp it.

“I know you’ll care for him.” Touko-san pats his arm.

“I will, don’t worry!”

Later, when Natsume comes back with the requested green onions, Touko-san greets him with an even more cheerful smile and asks him if he plans on going on any dates with Nishimura soon. Both boys flush a deep red and Natsume stammers out an answer Nishimura isn’t sure makes sense, but Touko-san laughs behind her hand and tells them they’re being cute—which, admittedly, is the case for Natsume, at least.

Natsume’s cat settles at the foot of the table, patiently waiting for his food (or so it seems), though his piercing eyes are gauging Nishimura, as lazily as they are judgmental. He doesn’t make any sounds, he’s just being his brand of strange, so Nishimura raises an eyebrow at him, even if he feels silly for starting a staring match with a cat. It doesn’t last long, though, as Nyanko-sensei breaks eye contact with a snort and decides that bothering Natsume is more entertaining. The cat is very weird, the experience was very weird, but Nishimura can’t help thinking that he just passed a test with flying colors.

Well. He can deal with cryptic cats, if it’s Natsume’s and an essential companion to the family.


End file.
